Research Project Title

Presenter Information

Faculty Sponsor

Vinai Norasakkunkit, Gonzaga University

Research Project Abstract

We are testing to see what role relational mobility, a socioenvironmental variable that determines how easy it is to form new relationships and exit old ones, plays in explaining how persistent first impressions are across cultures. Participants in the US and Japan were exposed to either positive or negative narratives to form an initial impression of a character named John. Then half the participants were presented with additional narratives that contradict the initial impression before completing impression formation measure, followed by a test that measures perceived relational mobility. Greater relational mobility may suggest greater significance of first impressions. Therefore, we hypothesized first impressions, despite later contradictions, will continue to persist in high relationally mobile environments (i.e., US) relative to low relationally mobile environment (i.e., Japan) and that this difference will be mediated by cultural variations in relational mobility scores.

Session Number

SS7

Location

Weyerhaeuser 303

Abstract Number

SS7-d

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The Role of Relational Mobility has on Persistence of First Impressions Across Cultures

Weyerhaeuser 303

We are testing to see what role relational mobility, a socioenvironmental variable that determines how easy it is to form new relationships and exit old ones, plays in explaining how persistent first impressions are across cultures. Participants in the US and Japan were exposed to either positive or negative narratives to form an initial impression of a character named John. Then half the participants were presented with additional narratives that contradict the initial impression before completing impression formation measure, followed by a test that measures perceived relational mobility. Greater relational mobility may suggest greater significance of first impressions. Therefore, we hypothesized first impressions, despite later contradictions, will continue to persist in high relationally mobile environments (i.e., US) relative to low relationally mobile environment (i.e., Japan) and that this difference will be mediated by cultural variations in relational mobility scores.